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Loved this episode! Knocked it out early this morning while drawing 🙂 Thanks so much for providing such inspiring stuff to listen to while I work! It’s great to hear what Jenn and Sarah are up to these days.

One of my big paralyzing fears that I’ve been trying to address recently is the fear of doing the wrong thing, or putting my efforts in the wrong place. I think it’s important to maybe analyze whether what you’re doing artistically is taking you closer to your career goals (the focus in focused versatility), but I’ve been so caught up in ONLY doing the exact perfect thing or taking the exact right class to help me grow THE MOST as an artist that I just haven’t been doing much as a result. Sometimes you just need to do SOMETHING to get the ball in motion, and then you can steer that as you roll, but I have so little time in my life these days that I’m afraid of wasting it.

Yep! I think “perfect is the enemy of good” applies here, too. When you’re afraid of achieving or failing to achieve something, there are a number of ways that your mind can trick you into inaction. This is just the one I’ve encountered most recently.

This entire year has been fighting fears: my biggest was going to cons by myself. I was a complete wreck going to Spectrum, I was so scared, but I just got back for GNSI and that was a breeze. Then I needed to get over making calls and networking, but that easier now.

I think, for this brief moment, I’m okay. I just realized this now. It feels strange. But good.

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Hahaha – the car metaphor. I SO understand this. My foot is always on the gas. I will say that the OA was the first group of people to offer me a real map, so things are clearer now.

“Give yourself a day” – I find this very interesting. I was raised to think that any sort of work-week break is laziness, and bad. Yet, here’s a successful artist, saying to take a day. I’ll give it a try.

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it” – I wish I learned this when I was younger. I JUST started trying to think like that. It has been so helpful.

This was such a great episode. I find it so helpful to know that others go through the same struggles and thought processes that I find have held me back in the past.

I think the biggest fear I have is failure. Self doubt and being afraid of doing something wrong has wreaked havoc in quite a few different ways. Whether its posting work online, applying for jobs or approaching people that I admire to even just say hello, the thought that I may make a fool of myself is very hard to shake. I have been trying to break through that over the last few years though.
Over the last few years I decided to make the jump from being an animator to the design side of things. Applying to the Spark with Sarah was part of that process. I was terrified when applying for jobs but I’ve been telling myself that the worst thing that can happen is that they say no. I’m now on my third show contract since The Spark and absolutely loving it.

I feel like three years ago this episode would have made me cry… Now I’m nodding my head to everything. Since I have been a part of Oatley Academy, I’ve done quite a few things I am terrified of. I’ve failed a lot. I’ve learned a lot. The uncertainty is scary and frustrating, but exciting too.

I’m just now starting to realize that I can create art that I want to make and people are interested in that. I think one of my biggest fears right now is taking on projects that don’t interest me. I turned down a couple of art related projects this past week… though it felt good to say no, I don’t want to miss an opportunity to say yes either. I have a really hard time not overthinking things.

My biggest fear is hard to explain lol. What I’m most afraid of is that I’m not paying enough attention to the things that make me afraid. The best way to explain it is using the car metaphor. I’ve been pretty good about keeping the petal to the metal, but I’m starting to worry that I might need to back off a bit and slow down. The road isn’t straight and I might need to reduce speed for a curve to get around it. Essentially the fear of giving in to fear feels like its becoming as much of a problem as the things I was originally afraid of lol.

Great episode as per usual! Always love the podcast! This episode has made me want to be something that I’ve never wanted before. To be a sociopath. Haha. Kidding, not kidding!

I think my biggest fear that I need to get past is a very common fear for many. The fear of not being “good enough.” This issue of self confidence and self doubt has bred a few other quirks. Such as needing to be a incredibly skilled artist before making actual artwork. I’m constantly in this mode of “I need to learn more before I can _______” or “I need to improve more before I can _____.” This fear also causes a bunch of frustration and anxiety to where I keep quitting. Luckily, or unluckily, I always find my way back. Back in my never ending quest of learning because I don’t feel “good enough” to make any real art.

Currently I don’t know what steps I can actively take to overcome it. Maybe at some point I’ll just develop enough confidence in my skills that I’ll get over it and take the next step.

I definitely needed this episode today. I am in this weird transition when I’m between hauling myself up from the staggering disappointment that is work right now and getting focused again/pivoting on how to go forward positively. This episode and first flight have made a big difference ending what’s been a rough couple of months. I couldn’t be more grateful to the whole OA team.

Biggest fear… Misplaced efforts used to be it. Now I think I’m dealing with the fear of steeping out in to a place where my peers aren’t.

Just today my tai chi instructor talked to us about how you will always look for a leader, but sometimes you’ll take a step and realize you suddenly can’t see anyone to follow. So you have to do the best you can. Often times, others are following you.

So I’m continually stepping forward. The current step is a Kickstarter next month. Sure I’m afraid to see just how many supporters I have, but I’m doing it anyway! Fight the fear!

Listening to the area of the conversation about being willing to be bad at it, reminded me of a moment during a workshop with Iain McCaig.

He was going through his process of designing a creature and he said, “First, we make a bad drawing. We do this so we get the ideas on paper really fast and to get the bad stuff out of the way and we can do the good stuff.” So we threw out ideas, the planet the creature lived on, it’s environment, how it moved, how many eyes, ears, limbs, etc. and he did a REALLY bad drawing. It looked like a drawing of a monster that a 6 year old might draw. I mean, this thing was a large oval, standing on a flaming semicircle, with 7 eyes, 13 ears (and I mean drawn like simplified human ears) and a beak.

Then he did studies pertaining to the creature: eyes, ears. He did a stidy of the texture of a waterbottle because he thought it could inform the creature’s skin, he did a study of power cables for “tentacles.”

Then he took a kneaded eraser and squished it around until he found a shape he liked and did a study of that as a “silhouette” of the creature.

“Now, we put on some epic music, and we draw.” And he proceeded to create an amazing drawing of this creature that started out as something a 6 year old could do. He went through the ugly, to explore and find the beautiful.

Don’t be afraid of the bad and the ugly. It’s through those stages that you learn and grow.

I was thinking a lot about this before hearing the podcast. I was thinking that in order to be successful, we have to be more fearful of regretting not having done anything at all rather than being more fearful of our work being ignored/criticized. Because if we don’t even try, the question of “is it good or bad” will never be answered. Unfortunately this is a comfort zone for many because it’s too tempting to live with the doubt instead of facing rejection. But if we put our work out there and it gets ignored or disliked, then at least we have feedback to improve and try again. This was a great podcast and definitely one I needed to hear after thinking about it myself. Thanks Chris, Sarah, and Jenn! 😀 This was uplifting!

BTW, I’m not sure that in my case it’s a fear of starting, but rather not knowing how or where to start. My biggest fear is rejection of my work, or worse, it being ignored. I constantly try to convince myself that while there’s definitely gonna be haters (and at some point I’m going to have to deal with that) it will be worth it because there’s also going to be people that will like my work.

Hey, guys!
This was a great episode, I loved the tip about acting like a sociopath (decide what I want to do, research the steps, and do it, using rejection as a GPS), and not get stuck with negative emotions. In my case I have fear of 1.) Share my work and make a fool of myself and 2.) Success, for example if I get a job I really want and then get paralyzed and can’t do the job, I think this is called Impostor Syndrome.

I’m working on getting used to be exposed, and not try to be perfect to fight Fear #1 and for Fear # 2 I think it would help to work on my fundamentals, skills and confidence, so I’ll know I can handle a job.

Hi Leena , I relate to what you mentioned , I’m afraid of the same things too.
Besides what you realized as a solution , I came to realize that I should give my self time & make the changes i need to overcome my fears gradually , step by step … understand my worries & cure them with kindness & surround my self with positive environment as much as I can .
Also like Sara said we should separate our own self from our work or Art because our work is a contentious process of growing & nourishing . you can’t judge a thing before it’s fully grown & complete right? so don’t let any one judge you badly & destructively affects you & think he/she didn’t figure out that it’s a process in progress … I love a quote I read for Sean Wes :” Failure is Success in progress ” . I hope those tiny thoughts helps .

Like Ania tells me all the time, we are here to struggle together 🙂 & to get better together of course .

I really needed this episode today and I thank you all wholeheartedly for it. I’ve been struggled very hard with a lot of what was mentioned especially feeling like you need that job title or job period to feel justified in what you’re trying to do. I have not felt successful professionally, ever, and that building pressure of needing to get the job and finally tick that check box finally is sometimes paralyzing to me. I have more often than not felt like my work benefited others as a stepping stone upwards rather than myself. It’s created this uncontrollable panic in myself at times and it has been holding me back from moving forward. So I’m going to take that Jenn advice and say screw it, i’m doing what I like, and that’s that. Even if the industry where I am is a bit wacko, there has to be somewhere I can fit in.

Hey Chris , Sara & Jenn . Thanks for this inspiring – as usual – ArtCast . It’s not only relieving but also it’s a joy to here you talking about those deep thoughts & sharing them with all of us , it’s like magic every time i hear such a beautiful talk as that <3
I was just in that deep hole of fear, uncertainty & confusion few days ago, I wish I've found that podcast before getting so deep in that negative energy but the good news is : I'm totally fine now 😀 . I listened to the art cast out of curiosity but it turned out that it was like a reward for fighting back the depression & getting back up again . So now I'm feeling happier, more optimistic & even more braver … I even started writing a story 🙂 . It may become the best thing i make or it may not but the most important thing is that I tried & sure I will gain a huge experience no matter what the end result will be.
So yeah like you all said , going through the things that we fear & trying things out to know how we relate to it with patience & persistence is the best choice over regretting we didn't even try .

Thank you for such an encouraging episode 🙂 This conversation is pretty much the basis of why I joined The First Flight. Although once I decided I wanted to be an artist and kept drawing since, I’ve felt like I’ve been floundering when I keep trying new things that it feels like I go nowhere. My car isn’t parked.. but it’s going in circles! And that’s been my fear lately, but am feeling I am breaking the loop now thanks to OA’s direction. <3

wow, that was exactly what I needed to hear. That line Jenn said of being afraid of something not working out so you create a fantasy life to live in over a reality where you actually try really hit home. I keep telling friends and family members that I want to work in the animation industry, but I have yet to really explore what working in that means. I have so many interests but feel overwhelmed by them at the same time. Really it comes down to lack of commitment, and my fear of it. When really its as straight forward and simple as making a choice, and even if I don’t like my first choice I can always change my path again right?
I feel so grateful for these videos, and beyond grateful for the new workshop too. It was great to hear Sarah mention how its always going to be a anxious time when transitioning from one career job to the next, but it was reassuring knowing that its a natural way to feel. I get the feeling committing to projects and career paths is going to be something I continue to struggle with, but I would prefer to say I tried and failed rather then regretting never trying in the first place.
Thank you OA team for your hard work, and always making me think!

Hey guys! Great episode! Very enlightening and inspiring. You always talk about the deep stuff and I love it. I an relate to this discussion because i am a graphic artist by trade stuck in a familiar rhythm and unfamiliar and ambiguity are entities in themselves. I like comparing those to staring at mount Everest where you can see the peak of the mountain but the lower part is covered in a heavy dense fog. All you have is your own intuition and maybe a compass for direction if it works. Its very scary because you don’t know whats in there and you could get completely lost. But there is also the possibility you could trust your intuition and find your way as well. I guess what i am trying to say is we have to find that thing that drives us in the first place. Find our uniqueness of what we can bring to the table. If every artist were the same how boring would that be. Ask questions and lots of them. My biggest fear is this fog and can’t see where i am going very well and have used questions to help clear the path. So with that said i am trying to be more involved with the Oatley Academy community via the Facebook page and here in these comments. As they say”Feel the fear and do it anyway, you never know what courage you might find.”

Yay! I loved hearing this episode and I have so much respect for all the speakers- talking about their stuggles and battling their fears and then willing to share it. Emotional bravery is something that is rare in the animation industry and when you find people willing to talk about it and help others through it.. you just want to give those people hugs and cookies. 😀 Thanks guys!

My big fear that I’m battling currently is worrying about judgment from others about my current choices. I’ve been sized up, typecast, and evaluated both positively and negatively over the years. I call the Box. I have a great fear of people putting me in box and thinking I am only good at one thing. Whether its true or just some perception I’ve created in my head, I need to divorce myself of this fear of judgment. Its not productive for me and just another trigger that holds me back.